the blue truck: November 2012

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

El Vomito

I must admit, I have not really made up my mind yet if I really wanna go and eat here. El Vomito - Kill the Hunger, is what the sign says.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Motorbike Delivery

Did you get your new Motorbike delievered like that? - It will be exciting to get it off once the delivery gentleman rings at your door.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Bob Marley Is Alive!

I just saw his bike parked outside a shop in Cartagena, Colombia! Shall I wait until he comes out to cruise along on his fancy bycicle?

Thursday, November 22, 2012

This afternoon we had a significant but not uncommon downpour in Cartagena. Also kind of intersting, this is not a one-way street, it's just somehow getting a little tight down where that white SUV and the following yellow cabs are cruising along...

THANKS for GIVING me the blue truck back

Today is the day, after days of formalities and waiting in some hall at the harbor, some seats at the Aduana, some hours at Enlace Caribe, too many nights in a Hotel, I finally drove the blue truck off the harbor of Cartagena, Colombia this afternoon. The coming night it will be sitting in front of the hotel and hopefully be as well as on the ship and in the harbors. Saying that, the blocking of the access and locking-in all my personal belongings has proven worthwile. Everything seems to have been untouched.

I must admit to have gotten a little nervous, Sonia of Enlace Caribe, just small talking a little to some one at the customs while we were waiting and despit my limitations in Spanish I did get this one: Of the last 5 cars imported via RoRo, 3 were robbed. Of the last 5 RV's that came in 4 were damaged. This little ear dropping of mine took place a couple of days before I first saw my Toyota again. So, needless to say, I was a little nervous and I am very happy that my "don't fuck with me" measures have proven well. Everything is still here, everything stil works.

So Thanksgiving has given me my truck back. THANK YOU!

I also would like to send a big thank you back to Victor Lau of Beristain in Veracruz, where all the paperwork and the packing and locking up took place. And an even bigger one to Luis, Sonia, Gloria and Juan of Enlace Caribe, without their tireless help and assistance I would not have been able to get the blue truck ready and released from customs here at Cartagena harbor. Or it would have taken me many, many days more.

Stay tuned, contacts to Victor, Luis & Co. as well as the shipping company and how to deal with all that will soon be coming up on this blog in a Travellers Service Site special page.

Colombia, I am coming.

Happy Thanksgiving! Dear Blog Reader.

"Don't fuck with me" Separation wall locking off the living room from the drivers cabin.

The key remains on the vehicle all the time while RoRo shipping, so I had to find a way to make the rear access doors un-accessible for the journey.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Toronto is in Colombia

Toronto has arrived in Cartagena and if everything goes well I should be writting you out of the blue truck again by tomorrow about the same time . Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Thank you.

Source: www.shipsandharbours.com

MV Toronto

Cartagena, Colombia

Check the gallery for the latest pictures of Cartagena, Colombia.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Interesting Business Models

It is pretty standard that you buy...

...fruits or...

...vegetables...

...a combination of both or even shoes...

...or processed fruits somewhere in the streets.

In fact here Colombia you can buy most of your every day needs in the streets. Some of the business models are quite interesting. Not far a way from my hotel is a lady that every day offers you to measure your weight. She stands on a corner of the street with a scale like you can buy in any super market, you pay her 200 Pesos, put yourself on her scale and check your weight.

Very popular are the "call centers" a stool with a bunch of charged ready to use cell phones, all tied with little cords to the stool so it would make it difficult to just walk off while talking, you'd need to pull the whole set up with you. You'll pay between 90 and 200 Pesos and make your calls right there from the streets.

Pretty standard all over central and south America, food stands of what ever you feel like eating.

From South America over the Polar Circle

You are right, by now I should start thinking about telling you about the Equator an not about the Polar Circle, since I am in South America for about a week by now. The reason is Catch-Up. That is what I am doing with many of my pictures as I go along. And finally I have started the Photo-Gallery so many have asked me about: ALASKA. The first few pictures, especially the ones from Dalton Highway, along with Dempster Highway in Canada (find the pictures of that trip in the Yukon Gallery) the only highway that leads over the Polar Circle. And the road that got me to the furthest point North on the continent that can be reached by car.

Check out the first pictures of Alaska HERE. Many more to follow. If you really get into the picture viewing mode, check out the other galleries as well, many of them have received up-dates with a lot of new photos.

The long way back South

Dalton Highway, along the Trans-Alaskan-Pipline

You can't legally drive any further North than that

Passing the Arctic Circle on the way North

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Cartagena, still

It is good that the blue truck has gotten used to trips on water. Beacause after the vessel Toronto has been delayed due to destructive señorita Sandy, which kept the 299 meter RoRo vessel a float out in the Atlantic for a couple days before it could sail in to Baltimore's harbour at the US East coast, causing a 3 day delay with its arrival in Veracruz, Mexico, where the blue truck boarded. It is now on - its new - schedule to roll into the harbour of Cartagena in Colombia on the 18th of November. There is only one problem. The harbour here is so busy that the harbour police has not given it a window to sail into the harbour prior to the 21st of November at 6am.

Colombia, not just busy streets, a busy harbour too

This has made me curious, what is going on in Colombia that the harbour is so busy that it doesn't even ave space for "my" vessel? I have done some research in the internet and in fact the economy of Colombia the country that we often just know by the news of drug cartels, the killing of Escobar in the 90ties and the war between the goverment and the FARC guirillas, is going fairly strong. Especially considering economy in the US and Europe. Unemployment rate has gone down by about 3% since the beginning of the year and dropped below 10% in October. Interest rates have been continously high and are at levels we wouldn't even allow ourselfs to dream of in Europe or the US and have average at over 4.5% in 2012. Registration of new cars is raising, salary in manufacturing are raising, consumer prices are rising, consumer spending is rising. Dependency of the US as Colombias export nation No. 1 has decreased and it looks a lot like a significant portion of the growth of this country is organic.

This is not to say there wouldn't be any problems. FARC is still a challange, might even be for me when I start travelling the country. Drug production, export and traffic are an issue, still. Nevertheless I was surprised to learn about that, just because the arrival of my truck is delayed a few days. And reading this, that my current host country is in an upswing while most of the world is struggling getting out of recession or avoiding inflation makes waiting the couple of days longer a lot easier.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Give Me A Hand!

Yes I am, I will give you a hand, there is a new feature on the blue truck blog. The first Traveller's Service Site is on-line. More pages, specifically to the country I have travelled through will follow. This first page is geared towards preparation work such as vehicle information, insurance and such. This will by no means be a full set of information like you can obtain i.e. from www.panamericanainfo.com but will describe the way I have planned my trip and what was successfull for me and hopefully will make your planning and preparation a little easier.

Happy Trails!

A Picture Says A Thousand Words

The photo-gallery page is now up-dated. Check out the new galleries of...

Canda's British Columbia...

...updated new Wild Things. ..

...new galleries of US States I have travelled through...

...the endless roads in the Yukon...

...more road warriors...

...pictures of people taking pictures...

...and a lot, lot more!

Have fun! HERE you will get directly to the photo gallery page where you can chose from 50 different galleries to get a few of the American Continents.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

More Hot Toyotas

Check out the newly up-dated Toyota Photo Gallery, there are a lot of hot pictures of Toyotas to see. Enjoy!

Faces

For once you won't need to listen!

But look!

The photo gallery Faces has just received an up-date. Go and check it out

HERE.

Have Fun!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Colombia, Cartagena - First Impressions

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Gracias Mexcio, Adios!

Today is the day I will fly out of Mexico and head towards Colombia. I would like to thank the Mexicanos and their beautiful, colorful country for the fantastic, interesting and exciting times I had while beeing a guest on their grounds. Check out a couple of pictures from my time here, if you'd like to see more, visit the photo galleries.